Watch first 1 1/2 minutes of the video
What to know
- President Donald Trump described being whisked away by Secret Service after shots rang out in the security checkpoint outside the White House Correspondents' Dinner at the Hilton Hotel in Washington D.C. on Saturday.
- On Monday, Cole Tomas Allen, 31, appeared in court to face federal charges of attempting to assassinate the president and two firearms charges.
- Trump said Saturday evening, "It's always shocking when something like this happens, happened to me, little bit, and that never changes." (Watch 3-minute video here.)
- No motive has been revealed by prosecutors, but authorities say Allen sent family members messages right before the attack, referring to himself as a "Friendly Federal Assassin," and discussed grievances on a range of actions by the Trump administration and plans for targeting administration officials.
Why it matters
The White House Correspondent's Dinner incident is one of several security-related events involving Trump, raising questions about security around the president.
Discussion questions
- What questions do you have about the security at the White House Correspondents' Dinner? How do you think events involving the president should be made safer?
- What should be part of the investigation into the incident?
- If a person has a grievance (problem) with a public official, what actions should they take instead of violence?
Additional resources
Sign up to receive our weekly newsletter with Daily News Lessons and community events.
To provide feedback on News Hour Classroom's resources, including this lesson, click here.
SUPPORTED BY VIEWERS LIKE YOU. ADDITIONAL SUPPORT PROVIDED BY:
Copyright © 2025 News Hour Production LLC. All Rights Reserved
Illustrations by Annamaria Ward
